Pregnancy Fitness: A Comprehensive Guide To Exercising While Expecting
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Self-care when pregnant is actually baby care, too. Making sure you have a healthy pregnancy is essential for both you and your growing child. Pregnancy fitness is a very important part of this and knowing how to exercise while pregnant and eat well will help get you off to a great start.
Being pregnant is an exciting time in your life, but it’s also a time when you’ll want to take extra good care of yourself. Everything you do affects the growth and well being of your baby, so you’ll want to do everything you can to ensure he or she is healthy.
Pregnancy fitness is a great way to do that because it has so many benefits for both you and your baby.
What Is Pregnancy Fitness?
Pregnancy fitness starts with eating a nutritious diet and includes a great exercise plan.
Eating right is more important now than it’s ever been before. What you eat affects the growth of your baby. You do need to consume more calories a day but it needs to be from healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains because you don’t want to gain excess weight. Vitamin D, iron and calcium are also part of a healthy diet.
Taking time out to exercise daily will help you stay fit. However, the type of exercises you can do throughout your pregnancy will depend on your overall health and fitness and whether or not you have any serious complications during your pregnancy.
Always talk to your doctor before doing any type of fitness routine. Please note: I am not a doctor and the following information is not intended to provide or replace medical advice; it is for entertainment and informational purposes only.
Benefits of Pregnancy Exercises
Been pretty sedentary up until now? Talk to your doctor, but it’s likely she’s recommend walking and some stretching for sure.
Already have an exercise routine you love? Your OB/GYN will let you know if you can continue with that routine or if you’ll need to modify it.
She can also monitor you closely and if any problems do occur, she can tell you the best course of action to correct the problem. Exercising when pregnant has many benefits and it’s safe for most women but you do need to choose a pregnancy exercise and workout routine that is suited for you personally.
Consider checking out a workout specifically designed for pregnancy.
Learning the benefits associated with exercising when pregnant can help encourage you to stay active during this exciting but emotional time in your life. Being pregnant can be very uncomfortable and you may experience a lot of aches and pain due to the changes in your body. It can also affect your self-esteem when you start gaining so much weight.
Exercising can make you feel better about yourself and the way you look. This helps to relieve some of the stress and depression that often accompanies being pregnant. It can also reduce some of the discomfort being pregnant causes.
One of the first things many pregnant women notice is that they don’t have as much energy as they used to and exercising can help to boost your energy levels. It helps to strengthen your cardiovascular system so you won’t get as tired as quickly and staying in shape makes it easier to do normal activities with less effort.
It can also help you sleep better and you need all the rest you can get when pregnant.
One important benefit to pregnancy fitness that many women don’t realize is that exercising and keeping your body in good shape can make childbirth easier.
You’ll have more stamina and the energy needed to get through labor when your body is in good shape. It will also help you regain your original shape much faster after your baby is born and we can all appreciate that, right?
Best Exercises and Activities for Pregnant Women
Depending on your routine, you might not be able to do the same exercises you did before you got pregnant.
However, there are some exercises and activities that anyone can do even if you’re not physically fit. These will help to keep you in shape and they’re safe for your unborn baby.
- Swimming
- Walking
- Dancing
- Jogging
- Low-impact aerobics
- Stretching
- Yoga
You may have to limit the amount of exercises you do as your pregnancy progresses but staying as active as you can, will make a difference.
Exercises and Activities to Avoid When Pregnant
There are some exercises that you should avoid when pregnant even if you are healthy and in good shape. These can cause complications or put your baby in distress so it would be best to avoid them altogether.
- Deep knee bends
- Bouncy exercises or those that require jumping, running or hopping
- Weight lifting
- Lifting your arms over your head
- Sit ups
- Toe touches
- Exercises that require lying flat on your back
- Anything requiring you to twist your waist
- Bicycling
- Gymnastics
- Anything that could cause trauma to your abdomen
Prenatal yoga is a great exercise to do when pregnant but there are some positions that you may need to avoid because you don’t want to over stretch body. You should also avoid exercising when it’s hot and humid because it can make you too dehydrated.
When to Stop Exercising
When exercising during pregnancy, it’s important to listen to your body more than ever before. There are certain signs that will tell you it’s time to stop exercising and take a break. Pay close attention to these warning signs and stop immediately if you experience any of them.
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Blurred vision
- Headache
- Heart palpitations
- Swelling or pain in your calf
- Bleeding
If you do have any of these symptoms they should go away shortly after you stop exercising but if they persist, call your doctor.
When exercising, make sure you don’t exhaust yourself. When you get tired, stop and rest. If you give out of breath when you try to talk, the exercise is most likely too strenuous.
As your pregnancy progresses, you’ll need to slow down even more. That’s expected and healthy — listen to your body!
Pregnancy Fitness Tips
Here are a few more pregnancy fitness tips that can help you stay in shape and protect your unborn child.
Take time to warm up before exercising and remember to cool down when you finish. This will help keep you from straining muscles.
Drink plenty of water before and after you exercise to keep your body hydrated. Being dehydrated is bad for both you and your baby.
It’s also important for you to stay consistent with your exercising. It’s not healthy to exercise excessively one day and then go for long periods without any activity.
When you combine a good exercise routine with a nutritious diet, both you and your baby will be healthier.
It will help keep you from gaining excessive weight, help with labor and help you get back in shape after baby is born. There are just so many benefits to making pregnancy fitness a part of your daily routine that it makes sense to be intentional with it, even if it’s hard!
